What is our new Hawk, Damien Wilkins greatest strength as a player?

[JTB]

So it's not like I dont know Damien Wilkins cause I do but the fact that I only remember him with the supersonics who dont exist anymore I can hardly remember what he was really good at on the floor. However I have been reading that he is a pretty decent defender on the perimeter and if that is true cause I dont really remember alot about his game I hope this is our tony allen, james posey, or matt barnes who are also known to be good defenders for their teams coming off the bench.

Now correct me if Im wrong but if I can recall Wilkins is a pretty good *ss dunker but maybe Im thinking of his uncle! LOL.....Anyways if you remember anything about Wilkins what is his greatest strength?....Im praying most of you respond that his defense is his best strength cause Lord knows we need a perimeter defender!

So who knows about this man? cause for me its been a while since I have watched him!

[JohnnyCASH]

[Swatguy]

I dont recall him as a defender but he should do well in the open court.

[MaceCase]

He was known as an athlete so that translated to him being theoretically able to defend but I'm not sure how much of that athleticism remains at 30 or whether or not he was a heady enough player to survive without it. The fact he was without a team would speak to him not possessing the wheels anymore to be effective.

[DJlaysitup]

He was known as an athlete so that translated to him being theoretically able to defend but I'm not sure how much of that athleticism remains at 30 or whether or not he was a heady enough player to survive without it. The fact he was without a team would speak to him not possessing the wheels anymore to be effective.

Yeah CTC, I don't remember him ever being touted as a lockdown defender...I always thought of him as an athletic guy who could score.

Still (even at 30) I'm glad we picked him up. If he goes out and does the things we need him to do he can be an asset. Ice those knees and play D. Hit shots when they come your way. :kickcan:

[JTB]

Yeah CTC, I don't remember him ever being touted as a lockdown defender...I always thought of him as an athletic guy who could score.

Still (even at 30) I'm glad we picked him up. If he goes out and does the things we need him to do he can be an asset. Ice those knees and play D. Hit shots when they come your way. :kickcan:

same here im also glad we got him and ...the fact that he said atl has been his favorite team since he was a child makes me think he will def give us his best!

[TMacUnstoppable]

why is everybody so happy the hawks sign him? why hasn't no other NBA team signed him??

[vext]

why is everybody so happy the hawks sign him? why hasn't no other NBA team signed him??

Everybody is happy that we picked him up because all of their memories of him are of him torching us consistently. I know mine are. While this doesn't translate to him torching everyone, it is automatically going to make us think of him in a good light. I think the better question to ask is what better free agents are there that we could have signed? Keep in mind that we are trying to avoid the luxury tax and are already a month into the season. Also, he has always wanted to play for the Hawks since he was young. It is possible that he didn't plan on returning to the NBA or was hoping to walk onto the Hawks at some point.

[RT3]

why is everybody so happy the hawks sign him? why hasn't no other NBA team signed him??

I'll be the first debbie downer and say that I am about as excited about this pickup as I was the Etan Thomas pickup. Hopefully I will be proven wrong because I would love to see him make an impact on this team.

[drzachary]

He has 6 fouls that can be used when our other players are in foul trouble!

[DJlaysitup]

He has 6 fouls that can be used when our other players are in foul trouble!

Well yes Z - so do you and I....don't quite understand your logic there unless you mean he is just basically nothing. The guy did score 41 points in a game against a lousy team a few years back (hereabouts) :rolleyes: and nearly made a talent packed Memphis roster.

Granted, Memphis is short on superstars - but they do have talent.

[spotatl]

His biggest strength as a player is his last name. Seriously... if his last name were jones I don't think many people would be excited about the signing.

Edited December 4, 2010 by spotatl

[coachx]

He is solid at everything but not great at anything. He has better then average ball handling and passing skills for a guy his size. He played PG, SG, SF, and PF on some pretty good UGA teams that were consistenly ranked in the top 25. He did a little bit of everything at UGA.

He is an average spot up shooter and at 30 his 1 on 1 skills probably are not what they used to be.

I would describe him as a slightly bigger Mo Evans with much better ball handling skills, passing skills, and 1 on 1 ability then Mo. However, Mo is the better spot up shooter which is an important trait for a role player. Both are average perimeter defenders when compared to starters but when only playing 15 mpg they can up their energy level to be better then average perimeter defenders for 15 minutes per night. I would say Wilkens may be a slightly better defender of the SF position then Mo simply b/c he is a little bigger.

His best asset is his high BBIQ.

Edited December 4, 2010 by coachx

[coachx]

why is everybody so happy the hawks sign him? why hasn't no other NBA team signed him??

Anyone with understanding of the salary cap structure and business of the NBA knows there are several 30 year old veterans that should be in the league. However, the collective bargaining agreement is designed to where verteran players have higher minimum salaries then younger players. The minimum Wilkens can makes is about $1,200,000........Meanwhile a 2nd round pick like Pap Sy only makes $473,000.

That equals $727,000 of cap savings an owner can either pocket or uses on another player.

Edited December 4, 2010 by coachx

[Guest]

Anyone with understanding of the salary cap structure and business of the NBA knows there are several 30 year old veterans that should be in the league. However, the collective bargaining agreement is designed to where verteran players have higher minimum salaries then younger players. The minimum Wilkens can makes is about $1,200,000........Meanwhile a 2nd round pick like Pap Sy only makes $473,000.

That equals $727,000 of cap savings an owner can either pocket or uses on another player.

In terms of Salary Cap, Pape and Wilkins are viewed as the same. In terms of actual payment, the Hawks only pay Wilkins $854,389 and the NBA picks up the rest. That is the same for any veteran who has 3 or more years in this league and is playing under a minimum salary. I don't think this type of scenario has a drastic effect on why so many 30 year old veterans aren't in the NBA because I don't believe there are many Pape's in this league. You only get that drastic savings on Pape once, after that first year costs shoot up. So unless the Hawks always have a Pape on their team then these savings are washed out.

[coachx]

In terms of Salary Cap, Pape and Wilkins are viewed as the same. In terms of actual payment, the Hawks only pay Wilkins $854,389 and the NBA picks up the rest. That is the same for any veteran who has 3 or more years in this league and is playing under a minimum salary. I don't think this type of scenario has a drastic effect on why so many 30 year old veterans aren't in the NBA because I don't believe there are many Pape's in this league. You only get that drastic savings on Pape once, after that first year costs shoot up. So unless the Hawks always have a Pape on their team then these savings are washed out.

I can alwayse count on the resident hawksquawk capologist for the corrections and details.

So its only a little over $400 K the ASG saved by orginally keeping Sy over a 30 year old vet.

I still love the move. Wilkens is 10 X better then Sy. Wilkens is the kind of guy who could be a star in Europe. Sy was a role player in Europe.

[Guest]

I can alwayse count on the resident hawksquawk capologist for the corrections and details.

So its only a little over $400 K the ASG saved by orginally keeping Sy over a 30 year old vet.

I still love the move. Wilkens is 10 X better then Sy. Wilkens is the kind of guy who could be a star in Europe. Sy was a role player in Europe.

Exactly.

What is somewhat interesting (at least to me) is that the Hawks have Collins and Thomas both at the veterans minimum. So the Hawks also pay them only $854,389 this year. Collins is a 9 year vet so the NBA is paying $1,229,255 - $854,389 = $374,866. Thomas is a 10+ year vet so the NBA is paying $1,352,181 - $854,389 = $497,792. So between those two the Hawks have the NBA paying $872,658 of their roster. I am not entirely certain, but I think Josh Powell might have been signed to a minimum deal. If thats the case, Josh Powell is a 6 year vet so the NBA is paying $1,069,509 - $854,389 = $215,120. In other words, the signing of Damien Wilkins is essentially completely subsidized by the NBA regardless of if Powell signed a minimum deal (I'm pretty sure he did though).